Luxor, Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens

After the flight to Luxor we were transferred to Sofitel Winter Palace. We explored the extensive grounds. A nice place to hold special events (see the colorful decorations on the bottom left). Carriages are available for rides around the city.

We ventured across the street to the Fish House Restaurant on the Nile and partook of some excellent fish dishes and more Egyptian wine.

We caught a horse carriage outside our hotel for the ride to Luxor Temple. 

Luxor Temple is impressive for its massive stone columns, statues, and detailed graphics. Built around 1400 BC, it was primarily dedicated to the god Amun. Note: Amun was more or less the Sun God from southern Egypt, while Ra was the Sun God of the north. When the kingdoms combined, so did the Gods with the Sun God being named Amun-Ra. 

The Mosque of Abu Haggag, founded in the 13C AD is built on top of the Luxor Temple complex. It was constructed on the foundations of earlier structures, including what appears to have been a church built over the pharaonic temple. It is a testament to the continuous tradition of worship at the site for over 34 centuries. It showcases the layering of different civilizations and faiths over time. And it remains an active mosque

Clockwise from the top left: 

• Abu Haggag Mosque.
• Column at entrance to Luxor Temple.
• Statues and columns.
• The queen of Ramesses II was Nefertari, whose name translates to "The most beautiful one, beloved of Mut". She was his Great Royal Wife and was highly regarded, often depicted in monuments alongside him. See carving by the lower leg of the Pharaoh...as usual.
• Bas-relief carving depicting the Battle of Kadesh, specifically showing Pharaoh Ramses II on his chariot.
• Overview of Luxor Temple.
• Sphinx, one of many lining the 1.7 mile avenue between Luxor Temple and the Karnak Temple.  
  

Later we walked back to the Temple for some evening photos. Clockwise from top left: 

• Ramesses II and his wife, Queen Nefertari.
• Columns. 
• Bas-relief carving with hieroglyphic and figures. 
• Avenue of Sphinxes in front of Luxor Temple. 
• 2 views of the temple at night. 
• Bas-relief carving of a pharaoh or official presenting an offering. 

That evening we had snacks at the hotel with Egyptian wine (a cabernet sauvignon). 

Our morning tour to the Karnak Temple. More columns, edifices, and towers with  stories carved in the stone. The temple is dedicated primarily to the gods Amun-Ra, Montu, and Mut. Karnak Temple grew over 1,000 years (nearly every king added to it) to become the largest and most significant religious site in Ancient Egypt. Impressive. 

• Lots of impressive columns (1 with a carved cartouche. An aisle of columns ...as I recall it was a field of columns 4-6 wide and 10-12 long. 
• Heavily decorated columns.
• 2 Wall carvings.
• A wooden model of a solar barque (ceremonial boat) with the ram heads of the Egyptian god Khnum. 
• Avenue of Sphinxes at entrance of Karnak temple. 
• Center: Obelisk of Thutmose I.

and more...

We dined at the French Restaurant - 1886 in the hotel. They supply jackets for those of us who do not carry one on vacation. Food was very good.

We wandered a bit at sunset and caught a nice photo of the Mosque of Abu Haggag built within Luxor Temple. Next morning our view over the river included a bevy of balloons. 

We spent the day west of the Nile in the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. 

About Valley of the Kings & the Valley of the Queens, there are no pyramids in either; instead, Pharaohs & Queens were buried in rock-cut tombs carved into the mountainside. 

We explored several tombs with colorful art telling stories of the lives they were built to honor. 

Tomb KV2 is the burial site of Pharaoh Ramesses IV is notable for vibrant, well-preserved decorations from various funerary texts like the Book of the Dead. The tomb, excavated in the early 20th century, is significant for its astronomical ceiling and has historical use as a dwelling by Coptic Christians, who left numerous graffiti inside. 

Ramesses IV was the second son of Ramesses III and became crown prince when his elder brother Amenherkhepshef died when Ramesses was only 12 years old. Despite the 31-year reign of his father Ramesses III, Ramesses IV was only 21 when he became pharaoh, and only reigned for six and a half years. His rule has been dated to 1155 to 1149 BC.

Tomb KV6 is the burial site of Pharaoh Ramesses IX who reigned from approximately 1129 to 1111 BC. The tomb is known for its long, straight corridor and distinctive starry, midnight-blue ceiling. Although intended as a grand resting place, it was completed in haste, resulting in a beautifully decorated entrance corridor and a less-finished burial chamber. 

Tomb KV16 is the burial site of Pharaoh Ramesses I. Due to his short reign, the tomb is one of the smallest royal tombs, but it features decorated walls with scenes from the Book of Gates and contains a red quartzite sarcophagus (circa 1292–1290 BCE). The walls are decorated with paintings showing the king with his gods, and the inscriptions and scenes are from the Book of Gates, a travel guide for the after life.

Tomb KV17, the tomb of Pharaoh Seti I, made of white limestone, is considered the most magnificently decorated tomb in the Valley of the Kings. It has stunningly preserved painted reliefs and scenes. The burial chamber has a vaulted, astronomical ceiling depicting constellations, a first for the tombs of the pharaohs. The tomb contains various funerary texts that were meant to guide Seti I through the afterlife. It was started by Seti, and later completed by his son Ramesses II.

On the way to the Valley of the Queens, we visited the Hatshepsut Mortuary. It is closer to the Valley of the Kings, than the Valley of the Queens ...because she was a King. Keep reading. Hatshepsut was the daughter of Thutmose I and Great Royal Wife, Ahmose. Upon the death of Hatshepsut's husband and half-brother Thutmose II, she ruled as regent to her stepson, Thutmose III, who inherited the throne at the age of two. In order to establish herself in the Egyptian patriarchy, she took on traditionally male roles and was depicted as a male pharaoh. She emphasized both the qualities of men and women to convey the idea that she was both a mother and father to the realm. Hatshepsut's reign was a period of great prosperity and general peace. 

This is a stunning, multi-tiered temple. Unlike other temples, this one was carved into the cliffs and features unique ramps connecting its three levels, with reliefs depicting her reign and divine birth. 

Continuing onto the Valley of the Queens, we stopped to spend some time shopping for Alabaster.

Unfortunately the Tomb of Nefertar was not open. It is sad as it's considered one of the most beautiful and best-preserved tombs in all of Egypt. That said, we saw so many impressive tombs it is impossible to keep them straight. We hope the following notes will help.

Tomb QV 52 is the Tomb of Queen Titi. She was wife and sister of Ramesses III and possibly the mother of Ramesses IV. Her titles show that she was the daughter, sister, wife, and mother of kings. The tomb features a corridor, side chambers, a hall, and a burial chamber decorated with colorful reliefs of the queen and various gods, though some have faded over time. The ceilings in some chambers are decorated with a delicate pattern of white stars on a golden background. 

The Ramesses III Mortuary Temple, aka Temple of Medinet Habu, is a temple and not in the Valley of the Kings, so it has no KV number. 

 Ramesses III has been described as a "warrior Pharaoh" due to his strong military campaigns. He defeated the invaders known as "the Sea Peoples" and protected them from invasions by the Libyans. The temple decorations show Ramses Ill in military & hunting scenes, in addition to religious scenes such as the king worshipping the deities. 

The Temple was dedicated to performing his funeral rituals and the rituals of worshiping the god Amun.It is surrounded by a huge wall built of mud bricks with two guard rooms, and in the middle of the wall is a great gate known as the Gate of Ramses Ill or the High Gate. The temple also includes the remains of a royal palace, storehouses, temple administration buildings, and royal stables. It also contains many columns, some of which are round with papyrus-shaped tops. 

Lunch was a traditional Egyptian meal on a Felucca (pulled by another boat). No wind. No sailing. 

We are now ready for our Nile cruise to Aswan.

Giza & Cairo

We arrived in the early morning and were transferred to the The Marriott Mena House in Giza with great views of the neighboring pyramids. 

There are 3 fine restaurants at the Mena House, one of which requires a jacket and tie. We ended up frequenting the 139 Pavilion with its varied menu and casual nature. On our first night, Dave got the mixed grill, the winning dish!

Our first sample of Egyptian wine was Shahrazade, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It turns out to be quite dependable in both quality and availability.  There were 6-10 wines that appeared on Egyptian wine lists.  A few were quite drinkable. Some were a step above. This is one of those. Admittedly, Egyptian wine service has a ways to go. The everyday restaurants use small sampler size glasses. The same that were common in San Miguel back in the mid-2000's. Not our favorite glasses. Also often the wine storage conditions were dubious. Actually the wine story is maybe better that you might expect given their religion and lack or wine culture. 

The next morning we are off to the GEM, the new Grand Egyptian Museum (opened officially in November, after we were home). The building and grounds span 40 acres on about 110 acres of land. And when fully open will contain a complete history of Egypt in artifacts and stories. It is impressive already and will require days to take it all in as it keeps evolving. The tour starts at the entrance and lobby and continues up the stairs (or escalators) through various large galleries. 

As you can see, the entry is decorated with beautiful hieroglyphics and cartouches (rounded frames enclosing the names of ancient pharaohs), sculptures and carved stone structures. We discovered that often sculptures of Pharaohs are decorated with a fine carvings of their wife in small scale beside their lower leg (top right below is Ramesses II, below is the carving of his Queen). 

Continuing into the galleries there are mummies, sarcophagi, jewelry, many more sculptures.

Below are sarcophagi, jewelry, including a beaded mummy net which was added to the mummy to add an extra layer of magical protection for the body. In the top right is a statue of the Falcon God Horus. In the bottom right is a statue of Mitri, an ancient Egyptian scribe. in a traditional scribal pose, seated cross-legged with a papyrus scroll on his lap.

Below are (cw from top left):

• Great Sphinx of Tanis discovered in the ruins of the Temple of Amun-Ra in Tanis. The statue was originally inscribed for Pharaoh Amenemhat II, and later usurped and reinscribed by several other rulers.
• Statue of the ancient Egyptian falcon deity Horus, primarily a sky god who was associated with the sun god, Ra. 
• Statue of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh, Amenemhat III.
• Winged Scarab. The large scarab beetle was carved from imported lapis lazuli, and its outstretched wings of silver and gold were inlaid with semi-precious stones. 
• Fresco, depicting scenes of people on boats, a common motif in ancient Egyptian art, often related to daily life, travel on the Nile, or funerary practices.

After the tour we had lunch at Zooba in the GEM (top two photos below)

That evening we returned to the 139 Pavillon where we enjoyed another Egyptian wine, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Syrah. Quite good. (bottom 3 photos)

For the next three days we moved to the Four Seasons in Cairo. We efficiently combined the move with a touring day, first visiting Saqqara Archeological site. Saqqara is the necropolis (cemetery) of the ancient city of Memphis and the home to the first Egyptian pyramids, built with stepped sides. Saqqara  is home to 16 king and numerous high officials It remained in use for non-royal burials for more than 3,000 years, well into Roman times.

The stepped pyramid of King Zoser, built in 27 century BCE, is considered the world's oldest standing stone structure.

The Funerary Complex of King Teti, dating back to the Sixth Dynasty (around 2330 BC), was built for the first pharaoh of the Sixth Dynasty. The burial chamber, is noted for being one of the first to feature Pyramid Texts, hieroglyphic spells intended to guide the king to the afterlife. The complex includes the tomb of Mereraka (Vizier of King Tetl and married to his daughter), with chambers adorned with various scenes of farming, hunting, fishing, jewelry manufacturing and other depictions of royal everyday life. It is considered one of the most decorated and most beautiful in Saqqara

We entered the Tomb of Mereruka, went down the stairs and through low passages to the burial chamber to find finely carved walls.

The Tomb of Kagemni (another Vizier of  King Teti) is nearby and also decorated with scenes of daily life including dancing, hunting and presentations of offerings. It includes some with the painting still showing.

Then on to visit the original stepped temple from the 27th century BC built by the architect Imhotep for Pharaoh Djoser. Beneath the pyramid lies an intricate labyrinth of tunnels and chambers, totaling nearly 6 kilometers in length. The public gets to visit a portion that accesses the main burial chamber viewed at the bottom of a central shaft.

After our visit the Pyramid at Saqqara we headed back to visit the pyramids at Giza. Along the way we saw some interesting, slow moving traffic on the street. We also made a short stop at a carpet school where families work together to produce some very nice carpets.

We enjoyed wandering around the Pyramids of Giza, including a short stop at the Sphinx. This is of course, a dream for so many of us. And it does live up to expectations. Then on to lunch at the 9 Pyramids Lounge overlooking the site.

After lunch we headed into Cairo and settled into our room at the Four Seasons. It offers a much more modern view than our hotel in Giza.

Later in the evening we had a light bite at the Upper Deck in the hotel.

Next day we headed to the old Egyptian Museum for the Tutankhamun exhibit. It was moved to the GEM in November. The final exhibit required for the official opening. We were lucky to catch highlights just before they were crated to move to the GEM. The King Tut exhibit is, of course, a popular attraction so we arrived at opening. Our guide knew how to get ahead of the crowds so we got a good view.

Below are: 

•  Ceremonial Throne of Tut
• An inlaid gold pectoral (breast plate) in the form of a falcon with outstretched wings 
•  The golden funerary mask of King Tut. It is made of solid gold and inlaid with various semi-precious stones and colored glass. 
• An ancient Egyptian tomb painting, likely depicting a scene from the afterlife or a religious ritual, complete with hieroglyphic inscriptions.
• Inlaid gold arm cuff  of King Psusennes I  featuring a lapis lazuli scarab and other semi-precious stone. 
• Funerary mask of Tjuyu (noblewoman, priestess and great-grandmother of Tut)  and  Yuya  (a powerful courtier and military leader, and great grand father of Tut.)

After the museum we visited the Citadel (medieval fortress), the Khan El-Khalili,  , the Al-Rifa'i Mosque (aka Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hasan) completed in 1363. 

• Minaret and dome at the Al-Rifa'i Mosque
• Intricately decorated pulpit at the Al-Rifai Mosque .
• The Citadel of Saladin (aka Cairo Citadel), a medieval Islamic-era fortification located on the Mokattam Hills
• Gold and blue stucco floral pattern carved into the wall of the Al-Rifai Mosque
• Goods for sale at Khan El-Khalili Market⁩.
• Outside the Al-Rifa'i Mosque

Next stop: seafood lunch at Khan El Khalili Restaurant, Pat enjoyed her calmari and prawns.

We had carpaccio for our light evening meal back at the Upper Deck in the Four Seasons.

On our final day in Cairo we focused on Roman times. We toured the Fortress of Babylon (built 100AD) where we visited the beautiful Coptic Church (dedicated to Saints Sergius and Bacchus), the Coptic Museum, the Hanging Church and the Church of St. George. As you can tell, there are a number of other religious structures in this area.We only hit the highlights. Along the way we saw:

• "In the footsteps of the Holy Family and Moses"in the Hanging Church
• The exterior entrance of the Hanging Church, so called because it is built with the nave suspended over a passageway of the Fortress giving the impression that it is "hanging" in the air.
• Lion statue located in front of the Coptic Museum
• A detailed stone lintel, which is part of the extensive collection of Coptic art housed at the Coptic Museum.
• Greek Orthodox Church of St. George with its unique circular design and large dome, one of the few round churches in the country.

• The Bawit fresco, a significant example of Coptic art, it  originates from the Monastery of Saint Apollo at Bawit.  It depicts Christ enthroned in glory, surrounded by angels and apostles.
• ancient decorated ceramic jar, likely a type of Greek or Coptic pottery, exhibited in a museum setting. The jar features a prominent painted decoration of a fish on its side. It has two handles for carrying and a slightly flared rim.
• A. Coptic urn 
• Ornate religious icon, possibly a Byzantine, featuring the Virgin Mary enthroned in the central panel, surrounded by 48 smaller panels depicting saints or martyrs.
• An icon depicting the Virgin Mary holding the crucified Christ,. It is unique because Mary is shown cradling the adult, crucified body of Jesus rather than the Christ child. 
• A mosaic icon from the Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church. The mosaics depict various scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary. 
• Ornate wooden altarpiece and icons inside the Hanging Church.

Lunch at La Pacha1901, on a former Paddle Boat. docked on the Niile. We must have been tired because we have no photos and no recollectionsof the meal.  It is an award winning restaurant, but we needed to save ourselves for out evening food tour. 

That evening we had a Walking food tour starting in Tahrir Square at a fine coffee shop and wandered through streets of Cairo enjoying a range of foods. 

With our tummies full, we went back to the hotel to prepare for our flight to Luxor in the morning.

Kenya: Serian Lodge, Mara North Conservancy

The flight in to the Mara was our luxury flight (by comparison to the others). First class seating with 2 seats per row and headphones for quiet and communications.  Flying down to the Mara,  we flew over towns, forests and cultivated fields, not the open African bush you may have imagined. 

The drive from the airstrip to the Lodge was our introduction to the local fauna, including (cw from top left) a Warthog, a Hippo, a Topi, more Hippos, Impala,  a Zebra, and a Crocodile.

Our lodge, Serian "The Original", located in the Mara North Conservancy, a soemwhat exclusive area, available to only 11 camps. The Serian has Individual tented lodging spread around a central communal area. The individual lodges and the thatched communal area have stunning views over the Mara River with its hippos and crocodiles. The lodge is "designed to be a retreat from the bustle of contemporary life", ie no wifi. Most of us had phone service so this isn't the retreat imagined, That said, despite the fine touches it did have a "back in the day" feel about it. 

At  lunch one day, the managers of the lodge had friends from the neighboring lodge, another lodge and a boutique hotel in Nairobi over one day. We had lunch with them. Most of them grew up in Africa and had great stories. It was like reading entertaining memoirs.

From our tent we could look across the Mara River to see hippos and crocodiles. Closer to our tent, we saw two dik-dik's facing off, the winning dik-dik, and a baboon. 

By the time we got settled and ready for lunch, it had started to rain. If we had been 5 minutes sooner we wouldn't have had to dash to the lodge in a failed attept to stay dry.  

After lunch, we hung around chatting as we waited for our late afternoon game drive. Fortunately the rain dried up and we had a fine sunset & game drive.

We saw our first waterbuck and a mound of lions complete with a cute active cub.

We also saw some interesting birds. The awkward looking Maribou stork, the drab Coqui francolin, and the colorful Greater Blue-eared starling.

The Mara North abuts to the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya which borders on the Serengeti in Tanzania, Combined the two total over 12,500 square miles of protected area. They are home to the migration of roughly 600,000 wildebeest. They are part of a larger migration that also includes approximately 200,000 zebras, 400,000 gazelles, and 12,000 eland. 

 Wildebeest and their companion animals move between "breeding and feeding grounds". Lucky for us they were focused on feeding and the grass was greener in the Mara.

We spent a very productive day in the Maasai Mara. We loved it despite the long bumpy ride which was hard on our backs. For breakfast, we identified a spot with a good view of the herd. It shortly became a spot in the middle of the herd. Unimaginable!

While we expected to miss the migration we actually witnessed several herds of thousands. Basically the herds go where there is food to eat. And there had been recent rains in our area and the lush green vegetation drew them. We were delighted to see the migration as they munched their way along where the grass was greener. 

While our original goal for the Mara was to see lots of animals, we did not realize how many types of birds we might see.

CW from top left:  Hammerkop,  African Wattled lapwing, Black-billed bustard, Red-necked spurfowl, Maribou stork, and Black-headed heron

Ostrich, Grey heron with African Sacred ibis, Long-crested eagle, and 2 shots of Secretary birds.

And lots of Vultures: Cape vulture, Lappet-faced vulture, Rüppell's vulture, Lappet-faced vulture, White-backed vultures in tree (10  remaining after several others flew off).

Between the Mara North Conservancy and the Maasai Mara National Reserve we not only seriously upped our bird count but also our animal count, seeing hippos, crocodiles, baboons, waterbuck, striped mongoose and cheetahs. Plus lots of babies, including young jackals, hyenas, topi, zebras, elephants, hippos, and lions. 

Here are some of the animals we saw in the Maasai: African buffalo with cattle egrets, topi, elephants with baby, cheetah and with a fellow hunter, and a baby elephant.

One of the ugly 5, a warthog, a Masai giraffe (2 views), a baboon, a young zebra, and a  zebra and off-spring.

A "dazzle" of zebras, elephants, a banded mongoose, a crocodile, and a pair of lions.

Our guide posed in Tanzania for us at the border between Kenya (Masai Mara) and Tanzania (Serengeti) . Later we enjoyed lunch in the bush before continuing our drive..

On our drive back to the Mara North we noted wild animals heading toward the villages along the way. Interestingly zebras and others use the local villages as a safe(r) haven over night,

The next morning  we chose to avoid the bumpy ride and took a walk. Our three guides posed for us, we captured a shot of the local trees and an African Buffalo that we made sure to avoid.

On our final game drive we stayed closer to home. It was still productive revealing a Rüppell's starling and Bare-faced-go-away-bird while .

Along the way we saw elephant, a young jakal, a young hartebeest, topi, a hyena on watch duty, and a lion rolling in the grass. The hyena dig a village of tunnels. Once they tire of a village they leave it to the warthogs to take over. 

We wrapped up our stay with sundowners around an open fire toasting marshmallows while enjoying a dance performance by local Masai women. 

Somethings we learned about the Maasai: They live a semi-nomadic life. Their livelihood typically centers around cattle (aside from those who work in the National Reserves  and Wildlife Conservancies. Similar to the Samburu people, the Maasai are famous for their bright red clothing and colorful beaded jewelry, which can indicate social status, age, or other aspects of identity. Also similar to the Samburu, they have a four-stage life system consisting of young boy, warrior, elder, and chief. And while it seems less common than in the past, polygamy is practiced.

It was time to move on to Egypt. and a new phase of our journey. Our time in Kenya lived up to our expectations, although we were disappointed to not see any leopards. Some of the unanticipated pluses:  many interesting people, cultural activities village life, dance, crafts, learning about conservancy techniques, 

Our flight to Nairobi was delayed 40 minutes as they repaired a flat tire on the front of our aircraft. Note the guides lined up with the luggage as they wait to see that our plane will indeed be departing for Nairobi.

Upon arrival in Nairobi we enjoyed lunch at Cultiva Farm Kenya, a farm-to-table establishments with a creative menu including: wild mushroom skewer, grouper fish taco, fire oven cooked caprese, king fish ceviche, soft-shell crab sliders, with a Veuve Ambal Cuvee Rose Brut sparkling wine. After lunch we toured the gardens.

Next we were off to visit the Karen Bixen Museum. The movie Out of Africa (starred Meryl Streep & Robert Redford) is about Karen's life in Africa. We watched the movie before leaving home as part of our "homework". 

We headed to the hotel early as we had a 3:00am flight to Cairo!!!